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I know I liked it... did it for 13 years and all I had was a pickup truck for shelter. Went long stretches without seeing another human, and nobody even knew where I was. Loved walking alone at night in the moonlight, or even star light.
You can have high speed internet via satellite now, plus all the normal comforts with solar panels and a woodstove to keep warm. But you are right, not many people are able to experience the benefits of solitude in the wilderness. For me there was any instant feeling of peace. Like I'd been carrying around low level (and sometimes high level!) anxiety my whole life that I wasn't even aware of until it disappeared.
Yes it is very good for the soul. I see a lot of that land is 7,000 plus feet up, pushing 8,000 feet in places. Does anyone know the rattlesnake situation at that elevation? It seems like that elevation would be cool enough to at least limit them? My place was at ~5200 feet in Arizona and the place was teeming with rattlesnakes and even had mohave green rattlesnakes which especially scared me. You don't want to get bit by one of those.... During the winter, they would all go away, but around sometime in March they liked to all wake up at once and go exploring. Also is there scorpions in NM at that elevation? Anything else that stings, pokes or bites that I should be aware of? Mountain lions? Thanks
I'm sure they exist at those elevations, but I've lived at 7000ft for 8 years now and haven't seen one yet. Haven't seen a scorpion either. But I'm not out hiking that much. I have seen a mountain lion recently, but they so rarely prey on humans I don't think that warrants a thought. There are a few wolves now, but I wouldn't worry about them either. The most dangerous animal where I live now is deer by a large margin... except for the humans of course.
I had close encounters with snakes many times when I was a vagabond. Just never worried about it. Part of that was ignorance, because I didn't realize how bad a bite could potentially be, and part was that I didn't worry about anything. I got a snake bite kit and kept on not worrying. Rattlesnakes are usually pretty good about letting you know they are there.
And frankly, compared to the mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, briars, poison weeds, and other junk you encounter back east, I'll take whatever is in the NM wilderness, no problem.
I'm sure they exist at those elevations, but I've lived at 7000ft for 8 years now and haven't seen one yet. Haven't seen a scorpion either. But I'm not out hiking that much. I have seen a mountain lion recently, but they so rarely prey on humans I don't think that warrants a thought. There are a few wolves now, but I wouldn't worry about them either. The most dangerous animal where I live now is deer by a large margin... except for the humans of course.
I had close encounters with snakes many times when I was a vagabond. Just never worried about it. Part of that was ignorance, because I didn't realize how bad a bite could potentially be, and part was that I didn't worry about anything. I got a snake bite kit and kept on not worrying. Rattlesnakes are usually pretty good about letting you know they are there.
And frankly, compared to the mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, briars, poison weeds, and other junk you encounter back east, I'll take whatever is in the NM wilderness, no problem.
I agree with rruff. I've been through plenty of New Mexico over the last few decades. Where I've encountered snakes is usually the east central and southeast portions of the state. There's a rest area about 35 miles north of Roswell on U.S. 285 where I've encountered rattlers on a couple different occasions. Also on U.S. 54 northeast of Logan heading toward the Texas border.
I'm sure they exist at those elevations, but I've lived at 7000ft for 8 years now and haven't seen one yet.
I can say the same thing for my 18 years in the high woods.
On the other hand, I've tramped the desert SW most of my life, having spent the first 27 in El Paso where I only had to cross the street from my boyhood home to be in the rocky desert area of the Franklin Mountains. I can count on one hand the number of live rattlers I've encountered over a lifetime of hiking, hunting, climbing and spelunking. Adding a few more fingers, I can recount those I've seen alongside the roads that were still alive.
Having been to a couple of charity "rattlesnake roundups" in central Texas, I know that those who look for them in their dens, etc. can find plenty of them.
Are those pants they are wearing really fang proof?
I don't remember all the rattlesnakes I've seen, but I'm pretty sure the highest concentration was in southern California. More than a dozen in the 10 years I was there... a couple as high as 5,000 ft. I lived for 2 years in Phoenix (Mesa actually) and never saw one. Spent many weekends on the Mogollon Rim (~8k ft) and never saw one. None around Flagstaff either. Spent about ten winters outside Yuma and Tucson. Saw a couple in the late fall near Tucson, and only one little bitty guy who for some reason was up in the middle of winter near Yuma. None in the N CA mountains, and none anywhere else up north. Except for CA, I usually found them in the middle elevations in the fall and spring.
In all cases they weren't worrisome unless they were napping and I *almost* stepped on one. So look where you put your feet! If they are up and alert, they'll let you know if you get close. They are very aggressive but not stupid. They won't bite you unless they really think it's necessary.
Up around 5,000 feet at my land in Arizona (seligman area) the place is teeming with them. I have seen over 10 in a three month period alone up there, just on my property, not including the countless ones I saw on the road. My dog also got bit by one (after a trip to the vet he is OK). I do a lot of hiking so maybe that accounts for my increased sightings. They are good at letting you know they are there, but I had one curl up behind my outdoor propane fridge (for the warmth I presume) and about gave me a heart attack more than once. I also have little ones and would prefer not to be around lots of them. It sounds like that elevation in New Mexico that they are less of a problem, if any, which is good news for me. Thanks.
I lived in Zuni (~6,500 feet) when I was a kid. In the five years my mom taught on that reservation (which is about 20 miles from Ramah) I ran into rattlesnakes about a dozen times. A few times in the neighborhood we lived in and a few times when out hiking around with friends. They're there, all right, but not abundant enough to be a serious nuisance.
I love remote ares - look on Lands of New Mexico- there is cheap land in Rio Arriba County. I don't want to be that far from civilization but otherwise I'm looking for similar. There's also some nice cheap land on the San Francisco River near Luna.
These places are long sleeve shirt places (at least) in winter. Do you want Vitamin D or do you just want to see the sunshine? Cause you might get one but not so much of the other.
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